


Diametrically Opposed

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, It's Hard and Nobody Understands, Logical Spock (Star Trek), Prime Directive (Star Trek), Protective Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Strained Friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27417253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Sometimes, Bones may let his emotions get the better of him, and that puts him at odds with Spock's logic, but when a child is involved and Bones can do something about it, he's going to do everything he can to keep them save, even at the cost of his own life. That often puts them at odds, but a family is still a family, despite the harmful words said and the claims made.
Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock
Kudos: 23





	1. Bones

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to write something similar to this fic so long ago, but then I thought about Bones looking after a little girl that reminded him of his daughter, and I thought that this was a much better fic than that one, though it was a little bit harder to fit into the prompt. Anyway, I've rekindled my love of Star Trek, and I hope that you guys all enjoy this!!

Somewhere out in the endlessness of space, far away from any civilisation, the Enterprise received an emergency distress call from a nearby planetoid, thought previously uninhibited, and made the decision to investigate. 

Casualties and wounded had been reported, so Leonard had been sent with the landing party to search for those they could save. Leonard could do nothing but grit his teeth and nod in resignation as he gathered his things. His distaste for away missions was known by many, but hearing about the casualties down below guaranteed that he wouldn't be standing aside. 

As they rendezvoused with the last place the final signal of the distress call came from, it became clear that most of their job would be shifting through the dead for survivors. 

Slowly, corpses began to make the long, treacherous journey to the Enterprise on stretchers and piled up in corners of the med-bay. Injured persons were carefully escorted onto the ship in various degrees of health yet all bearing the same tell-tail signs of Leonard's rushed yet talented mending, covered in blood and white bandages and the evidence of his tricorder.

Jim stood anxiously on the deck of his ship with his arms folded behind his back as he watched his crew dart back and forth between the wreckage of a spacecraft. "Do we have a status report from our men on the ground yet, Miss Uhura?"

"Not yet, Captain," Nyota replied. "Not since Commander Spock reported that Doctor McCoy was remaining behind to care for the wounded."

"Did Commander Spock report how many wounded were found in the wreckage?" Jim regretted the words the moment that they were out of his mouth, knowing that he wasn't going to like the answer.

Nyota was silent for a long moment before she spoke. "More than our med-bay will be able to hold. I'll alert you when I receive more information."

Pursing his lips, Jim watched as two more of his crew carried a stretcher into the open maw of the ship, covered with a sheet. He couldn't find the energy to reply, so the bridge descended back into silence. He kept an eye out for the two specks of blue in the sea of red.

Down on the ground, Leonard was helping carry the final passenger from the wreckage of the craft and onto a waiting gurney. He watched as two crewmen carried the bleeding Andorian man into the ship. "I don't understand this, Spock," he said as the Vulcan came to stand beside him. "This is all wrong."

"Are you referring to the distress call or the many wounded and dead passengers and crew?" Spock replied in that way that he did.

"All of it," Leonard shook his head as he gestured at the wreckage, kicking a piece of metal with his foot. "That looked like a Son'a ship. I've seen Benzites, Andorians, Skreea... and none of them looks very healthy. All of them look scared. Something bad is going on here, Spock."

Humming, Spock joined him in overlooking the wreckage. "Perhaps. Are you ready to return to the ship?"

"Not yet," Leonard replied. "Let me just do one more pass over the wreckage to make sure nobody is forgotten."

Slowly yet carefully, he and Spock picked through the wreckage for neglected survivors, moving through the rubble and wrenching apart the ruined ship and triple checking every conceivable place that someone could have been trapped under or sent flying when the ship impacted against the dormant planet.

"Doctor," Spock announced after they had been searching for the better half of ten minutes with no prevail. "We should return to the Enterprise before the weather here turns deadly and we are put in jeopardy. We don't know what kind of lifeforms inhabit this planet."

A swirling lightning storm was beginning to brew overhead, a dark mass of surging clouds crackling with streaks lightning in the purple atmospheric storm. "Fine," Leonard relented as he collected his tools. "Let's go."

Spock escorted Leonard through the rocky terrain, stopping now and again to give Leonard time to catch up or to help him over difficult climbs and uneven boulders until they were dodging from rocky outcropping to rocky outcropping in an attempt to stay hidden from any unwanted onlookers. 

When Leonard heard the very distinct sound of sniffling, he grabbed Spock by the arm and brought him to a standstill. "Spock," he hissed. "Spock, _stop_." 

He ignored the dubious way Spock looked at him as he peeked over the top of a stalagmite and craned his head to see a young Orion girl, crying softly and wandering around in the open in the shadow of the Enterprise's saucer.

She wasn't close by in any means, but Leonard knew that he was going to bring this little girl with them even if it killed him. "Come on," he said to Spock as he began to clamber up the rocks and make his way towards her.

He was halted by a firm grasp on his ankle that stopped him in his tracks. "We don't have time. That storm is getting closer," Spock said sternly, leaving no room for argument. "We must return to the Enterprise immediately."

Enraged, Leonard whirled to face him, still against the mound of stone. "Are you out of your god damned _mind_?" he demanded. "That little girl just survived a crash that killed most of its passengers. It's a miracle that she's still alive. If you think that I'm just going to leave her here, then you're in for a reality check."

"Doctor, there are numerous wounded patents waiting for you in the med-bay," Spock said simply. "The inadequate medical team stationed aboard the Enterprise are ill-equipped for this type of emergency. If you do not assist them soon, those patients will not survive. Not without your expertise."

Gritting his teeth, Leonard wasn't cowed by Spock's emotionless rational. "They can wait two more minutes."

"The needs of the many outweigh-"

He roughly yanked his foot out of Spock's grip. "Yeah yeah. Go back to the ship, see if you could be of use to someone in there."

Before Spock could stop him, Leonard heaved himself over the rocks, ignoring Spock's spluttered protests as he semi-cautiously made his way to where the lost Orion girl was wandering in loose circles. Spock may have been an emotionless asshole, but he was right about the high possibility of nearby danger.

"Hey darlin'," he cooed to her gently as he crossed the uneven ground to crouch at her side. "Did you come from that ship over there? Are you hurt?" Her eyes widened in shock and Leonard covered her mouth with his hand as she opened it to scream. "It's alright. I'm a doctor. I'm not going to hurt you," he soothed gently. He tapped the badge on his lapel. "See? I'm from Starfleet. I'm here to help."

When she no longer looked terrified of him, he took his hand away from her mouth. "Help," she repeated like the word was unknown to her.

"Yeah," he smiled, reaching for the tricorder on his belt. "I'm here to help. What are you and your friends doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

She seemed to get even smaller in his grasp, leaning into his touch now that she knew he was harmless. "Bad people took us," she said. Leonard frowned. "Long ago."

"Where are your parents?" he asked, remembering that he had pulled no other Orions from the wreckage. 

"Dead."

The answer caught him off guard, and he rocked back a little bit on his feet. "Oh," he managed. "Well, my name is Leonard. My friends call me Bones. What's your name?"

She kicked at the dust before she answered. "Z'arah."

Smiling as kindly as he could, Leonard gently palpitated his fingers across her shoulders and over her scalp, looking for any injuries from the crash that adrenalin and shock had softened. There was a little bit of blood crusted around a shallow cut on her forehead, but other than that, she seemed to have been quite lucky. "Well, Miss Z'arah, how about you come with me and I'll bring you to the rest of your friends? They're being taken care of by my co-workers. Do you want to come with me?"

Nodding, Z'arah climbed off his lap and held onto his hand as Leonard stood up and dusted off his uniform. He began to lead her towards the open entrance of the Enterprise, where a security detail was watching cautiously. Suddenly, Z'arah glanced behind her, and her eyes went wide.

When Leonard turned to see where she was looking, he was met by an angry and bleeding Kazon with a sharp piece of metal gripped in his hand. "Return the child," he hissed as he pressed the impromptu blade against Leonard's throat hard enough to draw blood.

Squealing in fear, Z'arah hid behind Leonard and gripped his hand hard enough to hurt, her other little hand fisted in the back of his uniform. He could feel her shaking. He met the Kazon's angry gaze with an unyielding one of his own and took a step towards him. The Kazon man looked at him in surprise as he readjusted his grip on the blade. "If you kill me," Leonard said lowly, ignoring the blazing pain of the blade biting into his skin. "It will be the last thing you ever do."

He wasn't quite sure where this new-found bout of bravery came from. Maybe it was the blade pressed against his throat and drawing warm blood that oozed down his neck. Maybe it was the poor state of the Kazon, who Leonard knew just by looking at him wouldn't last much longer without treatment. Or maybe it was because of the scared little girl clutching onto Leonard for dear life after just surviving a terrible crash and was trusting him to keep her safe.

Fortunately, he didn't have the time to dwell on it, as the security team waiting for Leonard to board the ship finally took notice of the goings-on and fired at the angry and perplexed Kazon, and Leonard didn't wait until he had fallen to lift Z'arah up into his arms and run them both towards the Enterprise.

He wasted no time in walking them both through the many long and twisting hallways of the Enterprise to the very crowded med-bay, every bed doubled up on wounded patients and every chair occupied with those who had escaped with minor scrapes. The sparse medical team were running from patient to patient like headless chickens and the moment that he entered the room, the relief was palpable.

Z'arah stayed by his side as he tended to patients, providing names and basic information, following him like a lost puppy, never straying far from the kind doctor who saved him. And Leonard didn't have the heart to push her away.


	2. Jim

Jim was pacing back and forth anxiously on the bridge as he waited for any news from the team on the ground. He had expected to receive some sort of contact long before he expected Spock to walk onto the bridge like it was just another normal day of exploring the cosmos, but here he was, reporting for duty and awaiting further orders as the doors slid shut behind him. "Captain,"

Just seeing him on the bridge made him feel relieved. "Status report, Mr Spock."

Spock glanced down at his PADD. "There were numerous casualties and many wounded persons. We counted four Andorians, four Anticans, two Benzites, three Aenar, six Bynar, eight Skrreea, one Orion and four Kazons. The ship seems to be of Son'a make, however, and we found Hirogen weapons. The passengers were all underfed and sickly and in a rather poor condition. As the Doctor pointed out, the situation is most unusual."

"And where is the Doctor now?" Jim asked. "Has he returned to the med-bay to care for the patients?"

"No," Spock said, and it was as if the entire bridge fell silent in shock. "Despite the danger of the approaching storm and the possibility of danger, and my personal advice, he remained near the crash site to retrieve a child who had been overlooked by the search party."

Time seemed to slow around him, and Jim felt his blood go cold in his veins. "You-," he spluttered. "You just left him-!"

"Captain!" He was interrupted by Pavel, who had risen from his seat and was now peering out the front visor down below with a look of pure horror etched onto his face. "Come look, quick! It's Doctor McCoy!"

Before Pavel had even finished speaking, Jim's feet were moving him towards the window despite not remembering telling them to, and he pressed his face against the window beside a fearfully stuttering Pavel. Other occupants of the bridge were leaving their stations to join them. Jim could feel Nyota and Hikaru pressed together beside Pavel. Even Spock had wandered over in curiosity. 

Down below on the rocky landscape of this nameless, barren landscape, partially hidden by the wide lip of the Enterprise's saucer, Leonard stood in a defensive position in front of a quivering little girl with green skin and tarnished clothes many sizes too big for her, clutching onto Leonard's uniform for dear life as a Kazon man held a wickedly sharp piece of shrapnel against's Leonard's neck.

The bridge erupted into a cacophony of motion as crew members ran to and fro, making calls to other crew members and just trying to find a way out of the situation. Though Jim was the captain and it was his duty to take care of his crew, he just couldn't move from the window. All he could see was his best friend all alone on an unknown planet, stepping towards the man about to kill him and willing to defend the child with his last breath.

He didn't even have a chance to react before phasers were fired and the Kazon man was falling backwards and Leonard was lifting the little girl into his arms and running back into the ship and-

"I stand corrected," Spock said absently form his side, making a note on the open document on his PADD. "There are five Kazons."

Ignoring him completely, Jim was running before the doors to the Enterprise had even shut fully. "Mr Spock, you have the bridge," he announced in the most commanding tone he could muster with his heart was in his throat as he sprinted through the halls of his ship so fast that he could barely keep his feet under him.

Panting, he emerged into the very busy med-bay in a panic and was immediately met by the commotion that was the med-bay in full crisis mode, which he had never really gotten to see before. People in blue uniforms darted from bedside to bedside, tending to patients in various states of health, administering hyposprays and staring at tricorder readings and trying to bandage wounds to preserve their meagre supplies. 

And in the middle of it, weaving between occupied nurses and wounded peoples filling almost every sparse inch of space, was a stern yet surprisingly calm Leonard with a glum expression and mild panic twisting his pursed lips. The girl he was protecting earlier tagged along behind him, her ratty, tangled hair tied up in pigtails with elastic bands.

The moment Jim saw him, he was filled with a swell of relief. "Bones?" he said, loud enough to be heard over the din of the crowded med-bay.

Leonard glanced up at the sound of his voice, and something unidentifiable flashed across his eyes before he quickly locked it away. There was a hastily applied bandage wrapped haphazardly around his neck, already slightly stained with blood. The sight of it made Jim lightheaded.

Putting down his tray of used and bloodied bandages on a trolley laden with supplies and tools, Leonard made his way through the wave of anxiously working staff, the little girl on his heels. "Jim," Leonard sighed when he arrived at Jim's side. "Thank god you're here."

"What the hell was going on out there?" Jim demanded as he reached worried fingers towards the soiled bandage around his neck. "We were watching from the bridge. Are you alright?"

Shaking his head, Leonard waved Jim's hand away but did nothing to dissuade his worry. "I'm fine, kid. It's nothing. Here," he reached behind him and gently pulled the little Orion girl to his side. "This is Z'arah, she was a passenger on that ship. I've spoken to her and the few others who were coherent enough to speak with me, and from what I've gathered, this was a ship transporting kidnapped peoples to use them as slaves. Z'arah's family was murdered during the scuffle, and a lot of the people here are families. There's a couple of adults here who might have more information, but until they wake up from their coma, I think you should put a report to Starfleet to check it out."

"Yeah, Bones, of course. I'll be sure to do that," Jim promised, somewhat absently. "But you should rest. You've been hurt."

If they were anyone else, Jim would have given Leonard a warning at the least for rolling his eyes at him. But Jim was a better man than that, and a better captain. "I can't do that, kid," Leonard shook his head, looking a little crazed. "We're in crisis mode. All hands on deck. If you can walk, you can work."

Before he could formulate a reply to that admittedly concerning statement by a familiar yet currently unwanted presence at his side. "Captain."

"Mr Spock," Jim replied without even turning around. "I thought I had put you in charge of the bridge."

"You did, but I gave the bridge to Mr Sulu in favour of coming to find you," Spock said plainly. "The Enterprise's sensors have detected no more humanoid lifeforms, and Mr Sulu has ordered the ship return to warm before the storm hits."

Despite what people said about him back at the academy, Jim was a very perceptive man, and he didn't miss the way Leonard's expression soured the moment Spock approached. "And you couldn't wait for me to return to the bridge to tell me that?"

"I did not come and find you to inform you of us leaving the planetoid," Spock said. "I came to inform you of the Doctor's inability to follow orders and the risk he took while putting the crew and the ship in danger."

Even before Leonard's eyes went firey and wide and his mouth contorted into an angry scowl, Jim knew that was the wrong thing to say. "How _dare_ you, you emotionless mother-!"

"Alright," Jim interrupted, getting between them before it could escalate. He turned to Spock with an expression of hopefully readable displeasure. "Do we have to do this _right now?"_

"Is this a bad time?" Spock asked though he didn't sound all that worried about it. "I could come by later after I have written my report about the incident? I only thought to inform you what I intend to add to my report, so the issue that happened previously is not repeated."

Leonard's eyes flared wide and angry, and Jim knew that the situation was only going o get worse before it got better. He was keenly aware of all the nurses still rushing back and forth, weaving around them but still tending to wounded patients. "Not here," he warned before Leonard could open his mouth. He spied a small office off to the side, a room that probably should have been Leonard's office, but nowadays, the whole med-bay was his office. "This way."

But as he and Spock made their way towards the secluded room, Leonard didn't move. "Jim," Leonard's words were sharp. "I'm still working. I can't just... abandon my post to argue."

"It will only take a couple of minutes," Jim promised. 

Pausing, Leonard bit his lip as he thought it over. He turned around and crouched down until he was face to face with the young girl. "Z'arah, darlin'," he said gently. "Can you go and sit with Nurse Chappel for a little while? I've just got to handle something, but I'll be right back, alright?"

Nodding, Z'arah toyed with her hair and broke off from Leonard's side, padding barefoot to the corner where Christine was tending to a Skrreea child. When Leonard stood, he looked tired and weary, and he wiped a heavy hand down his face as he followed Jim into the room.

The moment Jim slid the door shut behind them, the mood in the room changed palpably, like a thick fog settling heavily over them, and he already regretted making this suggestion.

After a moment of tense silence, Leonard glanced at the time. "You've got me for three minutes," he said glumly, mouth pressed into a grim line.

"So the importance of time is only relevant when it is of most convenience to you?" Spock replied with a surprising amount of snark.

Jim blinked in surprise and Leonard recoiled like he had been shot. "What did you want me to do, Spock? You wanted me to leave a little girl behind on a barren planet as a storm was going to hit?"

"Yes," Spock said simply. "The wounded passengers had already been loaded onto the ship, and we wasted precious time searching for survivors when you could have been tending to the patents."

"Jesus, Spock," Jim winced. "That's a bit harsh."

But Spock merely shook his head and continued. "The Doctor acted rashly, and put himself in danger for a single life."

"That single life has a name, and her name is Z'arah," Leonard spat. "She's seven. She speaks three languages. She lived on a house on a hill before it was destroyed by the people who took her. And now she's all alone, and I wasn't going to leave her."

But Spock still didn't look convinced. "She would have been looked after by her parents."

"Her parents are _dead_ , Spock!" Leonard also roared and Jim instinctually took a step back to avoid his wide gesturing. "They were murdered right in front of her when they tried to fight off the _slavers_. She's been starved and uncared for and alone for weeks. She has no-one else. If I hadn't gone to get her, she would have wandered around looking for help until she starved to death, or she was eaten by something, or she was found again by the slavers when they came looking for their ship. So no, I don't think so."

It had been a long time since Jim had seen Leonard this angry, genuinely angry, but perhaps he should have expected it. Leonard did always have a soft spot for children, and this was no exception. But despite his bias, he knew that Leonard was morally right if not right in the eyes of the Prime Directive. "Spock, that's enough," he said quietly. "Bones has a job he has to get back to. We can pick this up later."

Spock fixed him with a severely serious expression. "I am of the opinion that the Doctor is too emotional to properly enact his duties aboard the Enterprise and must be subject to a full medical and psychological analysis before he returns to the med-bay."

That was the straw that broke the camels back.

"You don't know the first thing about my _duties_ , you pointy-eared bastard," Leonard snarled, taking steps forward to get in Spock's face and jab a finger into his chest. " _You_ don't have to care about anyone. You stare at a screen and press buttons all day. If I stop caring, people _die_. I need to be emotional because I hold my patients lives in my hand, and I have to decide whether they live or die. The Prime Directive means _nothing_ to me. _Nothing_. I don't get the luxury to turn off my emotions, because that's how people get hurt. That bullshit saying you always quote? 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'? That saying doesn't apply to me or my 'duties' on this ship. I'm a doctor. I'm the god damn Cheif Medical Officer of the Enterprise. Every life if meaningful. Every life is valuable. Every life is worth saving. So don't you _dare_ come into my med-bay and tell me how to do my job, you-"

"Doctor Bones?" came a timid, squeaky voice from the doorway, and Leonard broke off his angry triad to face the little Orion girl, clinging to the door frame. "Why are you shouting?"

Immediately, Leonard's whole demeanour changed. his shoulders relaxed, his snarl morphed into a fractured smile, and he reached a hand out towards her. "Z'arah, sweetheart," he said gently as he walked towards her. "I'm done here now. You want to come with me, darlin'?" Nodding, she took his hand and he walked them through the door. Before he left, he glanced over his shoulder at them and said, "Times up."

The door slid shut behind them and the room was plunged into silence. Jim released a breath he hadn't known that he'd been holding and opened his eyes. While Spock's eyes were narrowed slightly, he was unphased. "Congratulations," Jim said. "Are you happy now?"

There was a long pause before Spock spoke. "I... admittedly don't quite understand what transpired."

Jim narrowly resisted the urge to scream. "You've upset him, Spock. And you doubted his capabilities."

"I was merely making an observation," Spock frowned. "If the Doctor refuses to follow the Prime Directive, then he is not fit to be a member of Starfleet or apart of the crew of the Enterprise."

"Spock, the rules apply differently to you two," Jim tried to patiently explain, though an irritation gnawed at his bones, and he was painfully aware of the sense of urgency and the panic that every crewmember must have felt as the Enterprise began to leave the desolate planetoid and the brewing lightning storm behind. "You may watch over the people, but Bones has to care about them."

"Untrue," Spock said immediately, and if Jim's day had been any better than it was, he would have noticed the twinge of hurt in Spock's tone. "I care deeply about every member of our crew."

Sighing, Jim placed a hand on Spock's shoulder as he moved to pass him. "I never said that you didn't care, but the way the two of you care means that the Prime Directive affects you differently. You keep us safe, but Bones keeps us _alive_. And he... Bones is a good man, but he's an even better doctor. He has a big heart. Even before he joined Starfleet, he had a very hard time stepping back when he knew that people were hurt. He wants to help everyone, even if he knows that its a lost cause. He took a vow, and he follows it very closely. I think that when he says that the Prime Directive means nothing to him, he really means that some fancy words mean less to him than peoples lives, and if he has to break a few rules to keep people healthy and living, then that's a small price to pay."

There was a very long pause as Jim watched the cogs tick away in Spock's head. "I see," he said, very slowly. "Are you saying that my observations are incorrect?"

Pulling his hand from his shoulder, Jim thought of an answer. "I think that while your criticisms were valid, they were harsh. And I think, knowing what you know now, you would be unlikely to bring up such criticisms again. No one is in trouble here, and I don't think either of you is in the wrong. But just... think about it."

Silently, Jim exited the office and left Spock alone to think. He caught sight of Z'arah sitting on a tall stool, watching intently as Leonard tended to a patient with undivided focus, steady gaze and sure hands and grim determination.

There were a million things that Jim wanted to say to him, but it was clear that Leonard and the entire medical staff were too busy to chit-chat, so he left them alone to their extremely precious and important work, and made the very long walk back to his duty and his crew on the bridge, knowing that his work was nowhere near as important as the medical staffs, but knew that Leonard could handle it.


	3. Spock

Later that week, once all the bodies were disposed of and the patients not in comas or critical conditions were transported to guest rooms abroad the Enterprise, Spock sought out the good doctor. 

The conversation that they had last week was informative, and he had been given quite a lot to think about, and when he had a spare moment between his duties, he definitely had been thinking about it.

There were always so many points of view to every story, and once Spock considered them all, he understood why the discussion had gotten so heated, and why the idle comments he had made, while necessary, had sparked such a negative reaction. Perhaps if he hadn't seen Leonard so close to death, or the bandage around his neck, he would have reconsidered making the observations in front of him.

But now Spock had some time to reflect, and h knew now how he went wrong, and though he wasn't the most friendly or apologetic member of the crew, he was going to make this right. 

Expectantly, Leonard was still working in the med-bay, despite most of the crew being retired to their quarters already. The med-bay was dark save for the standby lights and a couple of the red lights on the sleeping machines in order to give the few patients remaining a chance to rest and recover. Leonard was seated on a rolling chair, half leaning on a bed occupied by a sleeping Z'arah, snuggled up in a blanket, and who had scarcely left his side during their entire stay on the Enterprise. He was looking at a PADD, but he glanced up when Spock entered. "Spock,"

"Doctor," Spock greeted, coming to a stop. "If I am interrupting something, I would be happy to come back later."

"No, it's alright," Leonard said as he put the PADD aside. Spock caught a glimpse of a young girl with rosy cheeks and a beaming gap-toothed grin, wild brown hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves, the sun making it glow golden and copper, a blue cloth emblazoned with the Starfleet Medical insignia crisscrossed over her brow. "I was looking only looking over reports, nothing too important. What did you need?"

"I have been intending to find you so we could have a conversation," Spock said as he crossed his arms behind his back, his PADD dangling loosely from his fingers. "I have great respect for you, as a member of this crew and as a friend. Your skills are unparalleled, and I have yet to meet another man who comes close to your talent, or your kindness."

Suspiciously, Leonard's eyebrows rose. "I do remember you saying something similar to me when you were on death's door. I appreciate it, but what's this all about It's a little odd, I'm not going to lie."

"I'm here to apologise for my comments the other day," Spock took a step forward. "I have taken the time to reflect, and I have come to realize that I was out of line. My words only came from a place of concern, and I misunderstood your actions. I would like to formally apologise for any emotional distress I may have caused you, or any offence you may have suffered at my expense. That was not my intention."

A deep frown spread across Leonard's face, bringing his brows together and dragging his lips down. Under different circumstances, it may have been endearing. "Don't worry, Spock. That was ages ago, I'm long over that."

But Spock could still sense distrust and agitation simmering just beneath the surface and was reminded just how much Leonard could hold a grudge if it meant enough to him. "I am of the opinion that your care and dedication to life is amiable, and your devotion to following your vow is an aspiration that we should follow, and that the sympathy you-"

"Spock, I get it," Leonard interrupted, looking perplexed. "I'm flattered, but it's not necessary. Really, it's not. I already forgave you. I told you before, I'm over it."

"I do not believe hat I have given you my praises enough, which I do believe is a mistake on my behalf," Spock insisted. 

"And I'm _flattered_ , but you really don't need to," Leonard said. "What's all this about? Where is this coming from? You haven't gotten infected by some strange alien disease, have you?"

It was difficult for Spock to understand why the Doctor refused to accept his apology. "Doctor, I've come here to apologise for my behaviour, and to retract the statements I made. I believe I may have made some mention of a report..."

He trailed off as Leonard's face closed off and grew sour. "Ah," he said like he finally understood. "The report. How goes that report of yours?"

Silently, Spock produced the PADD from behind his back and handed it to Leonard, who took it with confusion. "Completed," Spock said simply, as Leonard began t scroll through it.

He waited patiently as Leonard slowly scrolled through it, eyes widening as he meticulously read through Spock's report. His eyes widened ever so slightly as his lips formed an explanation of confusion, before he glanced up at Spock, back down to the PADD, and back up at Spock. "What's this?"

"My report."

"I thought Vulcan's couldn't lie," Leonard accused, looking at Spock like he had just committed a great atrocity that he couldn't quite comprehend. "None of this happened, and you left out the argument."

"Vulcan's can not lie, that's true, but we have no issue with omitting the truth," Spock said. "I did not include the argument because I came to the decision that it ultimately had no bearing on the rescue mission, so I did not include it in my report. It was... cruel of me to assume that you were too emotional or compromised to care for your patients. I realize now that your emotion is a virtue, and that if it weren't for your caring nature and kind disposition, we all would have been dead tenfold by now. I was unnecessarily cruel, and I humbly express my apology."

For a long moment, Leonard was silent. Around the room, machines were beeping, and the patents were making soft sounds of sleep. Z'arah made purring noises in her sleep, and rolled over, the blanket rustling, the bed squeaking at the movement. Leonard glanced down at the PADD one more time before he placed it on the bed beside his own and glanced back up at Spock. "Well, thanks. You were right though, you know. Maybe it was dangerous. Maybe that Kazon could have killed me. But I wasn't just going to leave her Spock. I know it was reckless, but I couldn't have done it. You would have had to drag me away kicking and screaming."

"Of course. You were correct. Life is... precious. I never should have insisted that you leave her behind. If the circumstances were different, and the variables were less unknown, I would have accompanied you to collect that girl. But, at the time, I had thought that she was a lost cause, and retrieving her would have put us and the ship in jeopardy," Spock said. "I find that kindness is something that sets you humans away from many other creatures of the universe. It has always fascinated me, how you can put someones else's life above your own, and put yourself in risky situations to aid someone else. As a doctor, particularly, you must be unbiased in your care and unquestionable in your kindness. You have an abundance of compassion, and these attributes are things that aid you in being a skilled doctor and accomplished in your duties."

Leaning back in his chair, Leonard looked Spock up and down, appraising him with a new outlook. "Someone is feeling mighty complimentary today."

"It is necessary for you to understand that my intentions were not to offend you, or to doubt your abilities, but that my words only came from a place of concern," Spock took a step forward closer to Leonard, and Leonard raised an eyebrow at him as he approached. "It was out of guilt that I spoke out the way I did, due to the fact that I left you behind and returned to the ship, and due to my oversight, your life was put in danger and you were very nearly killed. That whole altercation could have been avoided if I had not been so frustrated with your inability to listen to orders. I know now that it was not stubbornness that drove you, but an excessive amount of humanity. I formally extend my apology."

Leonard shook his head. "Spock, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble. I understand. I appreciate it. But you really had nothing to worry about, not from me at least. But still, I really appreciate it. That's... very kind of you. Thank you."

"You mean a great deal to me, and I have much respect for you. I thought it would be best to... clear the air, so to speak," Spock said. "Good night, Doctor."

"Goodnight Spock."

As Spock turned around and made for the door, a sudden thought came to him, and he paused before he could fully exit the med-bay. "Doctor?" he asked, and Leonard hummed in response. "That child on your PADD... who was she?"

A sombre look clouded across Leonard's face, and a sad smile pulled at his lips. "My daughter, Johanna. I haven't seen her in a very long time, but I've convinced her babysitter to send me photos of her whenever she gets the chance. I miss her. More than I thought I would."

Spock nodded. "Well, I hope that someday, you may be reunited with her. The connection between a loving parent and a child is a blessing."

"It sure is," Leonard said as he retrieved his PADD. "See you tomorrow, Spock."

"Doctor,"

Spock left the med-bay and returned to his quarters with his heart feeling a little lighter and his conscious feeling a little clearer, knowing that he had managed to repair a bridge he had broken, and learnt a little bit about the man that he respected in the process. With the feeling of guilt far behind him, he slept a lot easier knowing that there were no hard feelings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spock is continuously so damn hard to write, but I hope I did a pretty good job considering.


End file.
